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Topic: home for swarm (Read 1281 times)

I would like to know what should go into a hive for a captured swarm in order to sustain it. I got a small swarm and it left. I am pretty sure it is because I did not put it in the right environment. I have no drawn comb but I could get some frames out of my one good hive which I dont want to hurt too bad. It was a very small swarm and maybe just didn't have enough bees to operate,but I hate losing it just the same. next time I would like to get a home prepared in case I get another one, but I dont want to let any good frames go bad' like minimum and maximum thank you a lot

I had it about a week. All it had was syrup and foundation which I realize now is silly. but I was wanting to combine it and its queen with a nuc that I cant find the queen in, but I was not real sure that it was queenless and I had already made two nucs out of my good hive and was hesitant to weaken it further. Now I want to keep a kit for small swarms. I bought two queens this year but it looks like both of them are gone. and I just might not be able to manage fifteen bucks a pop to requeen again so I am going to build up on swarms if I can. at least untill I can recognize a queen when I see one. the trouble I was real busy when this swarm came along and I just bungled it. so I want to put a kit together so it doesn't happen again. My other swarm survived fine by taking over one of my nuks whick was well supplied. so now aI have a strong but already used about six frames out of, in my nucs, a nuc whick apparently is in good shape but probably queenless. I have collected two swarms but this one is gone I was thinking I might use a short frame of honey for feeding a swarm, if one comes along.